EU UN Special Rapporteur "concerned"
about the
2002 readmission protocol
between Greece and Turkey signed in 2002 - is Turkey a "safe"
country?

- The EU intends to use this agreement/protocol
to return refugees to Turkey considered not to be in need of
international protection who arrive in Greece from Sunday 20
March 2016 onwards.19.3.16
Follow us: |
| TweetEuropean Commission:
Factsheet
on the EU-Turkey Agreement (pdf) includes:

"On what legal
basis will irregular migrants be returned from the Greek islands
to Turkey?

People who do not have a right to international protection will
be immediately returned to Turkey. The legal framework for
these returns is the bilateral readmission agreement between
Greece and Turkey. From 1 June 2016, this will be succeeded
by the EU-Turkey Readmission Agreement, following the entry into
force of the provisions on readmission of third country nationals
of this agreement."
[emphasis added]

1. A readmission
protocol between Greece and Turkey was signed in 2002. The
Special Rapporteur is concerned that this agreement focuses almost
exclusively on combatting "illegal" migration. While
it "does not affect the rights and obligations arising from
other international agreements binding upon the Parties",
it does not provide any specific guarantees for respecting the
human rights of migrants, such as non-refoulement or the principle
of the best interests of the child. Given the obstacles to access
asylum procedures and to identify other vulnerable groups such
as unaccompanied children, victims of trafficking and victims
of torture in Greece, there is a serious risk that persons returned
under the readmission agreement with Turkey might indeed be in
need of protection.

2. The Special Rapporteur notes that the number of migrants returned
to Turkey under the bilateral agreement is low, and that Greece
expects that it will be able to readmit more migrants once the
EU-Turkey readmission agreement enters into force.

3. The Special Rapporteur strongly urges Greece to fully respect
its human rights obligations in relation to all its readmission
agreements, including the Greece-Italy, Greece-Turkey and EU-Turkey
agreements. The non-refoulement principle must always be respected
for all migrants proposed for readmission." [emphasis added]

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